Press
Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union Headquarters Toured By Delegation From Liverpool, England
Michelle Silveira
978-323-4780
LOWELL – Mark S. Cochran, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, yesterday met with a delegation of business leaders and economic-development officials visiting from Liverpool, England.
The officials, guests of the British Consulate-General in Boston, visited the City of Lowell to learn about both its history and economic development, in which Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union has played a significant role for the past 100 years.
The British officials said they were highly impressed by Jeanne D’Arc’s corporate headquarters at 1 Tremont Place in Lowell, which was constructed on the site of the historic Tremont Yard. The striking five-story glass and brick building was built on the ruins of the former Tremont Mills Power House, which once housed the water wheels responsible for powering the Tremont and Suffolk Mill complexes dating back to the 1840s.
The delegates were fascinated to hear the history of Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, which started out in the heart of the Acre – then primarily a Franco-American neighborhood – by safeguarding the pennies and nickels of St. Joseph School children.
“It is fantastic to hear a businessman say we chose this location because this is where we started,” said Jack Stopforth, Chief Executive Officer of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce. “I think it is amazing and so important that from this building you can see the church where you first began. Too many businesses tend to forget their history.”
The delegation was joined in its tour of Jeanne D’Arc’s headquarters by leaders from the City of Lowell, the Lowell National Historical Park and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
“Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union has had a deep-rooted history in the Lowell community since 1912,” said Mark S. Cochran, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union. “We are excited to be part of Lowell’s great heritage as well as its promising future. Having the Liverpool delegation visit gave us a wonderful opportunity to showcase our beautiful headquarters, and to show our deep pride in the region and its history.”
The seven-member British delegation was led by Stopforth and is spending a week touring the Boston and Lowell regions.
About Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union:
Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union was established in 1912 and is a full-service, member-owned community-based financial cooperative with more than 57,000 members and more than $910 million in assets. It operates six full-service branches in Lowell, Dracut (2), Tyngsboro, Chelmsford and Methuen, Massachusetts; three high-school branches at Lowell High, Dracut High, and Nashoba Valley Technical High schools; and a loan center in Lowell.